Mounting the Barricades
by AwesomeOliver
Summary: On a mission the Titans are captured and enslaved by a familiar alien race. To get out they not only need each other, but the other slaves as well. But in a place where taking a step out of line could result in death, will they be able to leave at all? RS
1. Prologue

**Yay! I'm back!! And i have to say that i am really excited about this story :) I tried and failed to write it all out before posting though, so i wouldn't expect regular updates. But you know what makes me write faster?! REVIEWS!! :-D**

**Notes: This story was inspired by the band Rise Against ( i was listening to their new CD while coming up with this) So if you want to thank somebody you can thank them for helping me thing it up :) I also like constructive criticisim (it helps me become a better writer) and if you flame me for a stupid and/or irrational reason, i _will_ laugh. That is all. OH! And there will be a few OCs in here. They won't be huge characters in the story (well some may be) but they are necessary. And i shall try to make them as loveable (or hateable) as possible :) **

**Disclaimer: Ugh...fine i don't own Teen Titans...**

**Now that the introduction is over...on to the story! :-D**

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"**Before we packed our bags and **

**Left all this behind us in the dust,**

**We had a place that we could call home**

**And a life no one could touch"**

**-Rise Against (Prayer of the Refugee)**

**Prologue**

Space. A halcyon, living beauty and hell all in one. Its vastness has driven many beings to explore it's mysteries and fly to the deepest depths of the black nothingness to look for something they could call their own. The word 'space' itself seems to draw on as it rolls from one's tongue and into the ears of another. Stars of any shape, size, color, or name clump together as far as the eye can see, and different planets, along with their moons, are set in the large gap of emptiness between them.

Suddenly, the loud, roaring sound of an engine could be heard in the emptiness, the sound waves disturbing the peaceful silence and distorting the view a little from the engine's heat. It was a small grey and black ship slowly coasting across the universe as it made its way towards its destination, which it was a few days away from. The name _Athena's Soldier _was clearly printed on the smooth grey metal in bold white letters on the ship's side and wings.

The inside was empty, silent except for the occasional creak of metal or a small _thunk_ from a space rock hitting the outside layer of the ship. In the control room machines beeped and little lights flashed in correspondence to the ship's condition. All in all, it was a medium sized, light, and healthy piece of machinery, made to withstand years of floating through the largest amount of empty space God has ever made.

In the middle of the space ship, was an enclosed circular room with long metal rectangles welded to the wall. They were a solid white color with steel hinges on one side, and a latch and code box on the other. Each were tall enough and wide enough to hold a human body, and had pipes shooting out from the tops which pumped oxygen into the interior. These 'Shells', as the crew called them, were made for astronauts who had to go into hyper sleep on long missions. Once one was in a Shell, a special gas was emitted into the airtight chamber, sending the astronauts into a deep sleep, almost like hibernation.

And inside the third Shell on the left, one person was waking up, about to experience the grenade-sized headache everyone received after their first hyper sleep.

Inalen groggily pried her copper eyes open, finding it very difficult to register where she was. She blinked rapidly, and rubbed her eyes to get all the sleep out of them. The air surrounding her was thick and humid, making breathing a little hard for her. Inalen's registering screen that showed her pulse and brain activity, which was slightly increasing, showed that she was alive and awake. Inalen smiled, finally remembering where she was. _Oh yeah! Pejite, now I remember _the Australian thought to herself.

Inalen was one of four teenagers that had been given the opportunity to go on an outer space mission to the planet Pejite. Apparently they were the only four teens in the world that managed to qualify for this trip. They were all smart beyond average, their achievements were thought of as 'none other than extraordinary' to their teachers and parents. They were the smartest teen from their country, which was probably part of the reason of why they were picked. The other reason was for their personalities and interests. Of course they all loved space, and they all had the qualities they needed for each of their positions as pilot, geologist, engineer, and medical doctor.

Inalen started when she heard a computerized voice from above her say, "Good morning Inalen. Sleep: undisturbed. Dangers detected during hyper sleep: none. Minutes to planet Pejite: two hundred…"

Inalen flipped the volume level to mute and the computer's protocol turned into silence once more. She didn't like computerized voices, it made her feel inhuman. Blowing a strand of fiery orange hair out of her eyes, Inalen punched in the numbers on the screen that would open her Shell's door. There was an audible hiss as the door opened and let clean air flood into the compartment. Inalen quickly undid the long, black Velcro belts that secured her to the soft padding of her Shell, and landed on the metal floor with a soft _thunk_.

When she gazed at her teammates Shells , which were set up all around the walls in the same room, and she found that they were all still closed. Smirking, Inalen closed her own and tiptoed towards the door. Only after she softly closed the door behind her, she allowed herself a little victory jump and raced towards the kitchen. _Finally I'm up before the boys! Food here I come! _She screamed excitedly in her mind. She ran faster at the prospect of getting to eat before the boys woke up and ate everything…again.

Inalen finally reached the kitchen door, yanked it open, and immediately scowled. There at the small, round table were her teammates Malcom, Amora, and Danil, as well as their supervisors, Mr. Jim and Ms. Sandra. All of whom were smirking at her frustration.

Inalen glared at Malcom and Danil, "How is it you guys are always up before me?!"

Danil and Malcom shared a knowing look before Danil shrugged and answered, "Ve just like ze food."

His Russian accent made Inalen grin a little, she always loved the way he spoke. Mr. Jim looked up from his newspaper, which was probably from five months ago when they first took off, and smiled at her, "Ah, Inalen. How nice of you to join us. Come sit down and have some breakfast."

Inalen couldn't keep the smile from coming up at the old man's suggestion, and sat down in the unoccupied seat between Danil and Amora. Mr. Jim always reminded her of Dumbledore from her Harry Potter books. Except for the fact that his hair and beard were short, and he wasn't magical. Amora handed her a glass and passed the jug of ice water towards the Australian, giving her a small smile.

Amora had been the first picked out of all of them. She was from South America. Her mother was Hispanic. Her father, American. She lived in the USA most of her life, but after her dad died she and her mom decided to go spend some time in her birthplace, Brazil. She was a very sweet, very kind person. She usually was a babysitter back on Earth, but here she was a pilot. She could steer a sip through a meteor shower or sling-shot around a planet with expertise. While she was nice, as well as quiet, she could also take charge if the situation called for it. Especially if the boys got into trouble.

Malcom was from America. He was African American, born in Texas, and frankly, he was just about the coolest person Inalen has ever met. He originally worked in his dad's auto shop whenever he wasn't bull riding or breaking a new horse. She also considered him one of the greatest paintball players of all time. It wasn't much of a surprise when he was assigned to be the Engineer. All of those years helping his dad fix cars had definitely helped.

Danil was from Russia. While he appeared to be shy, he was actually a pretty outgoing person once you go to know him. He had told them of his mom who was a famous doctor back in his hometown. The blond spent a lot of time reading some of her medical books on his days off of school, and even helped out around the hospital whenever they were short on staff. So, after years of researching and practice, he was here serving as their Medical Practitioner.

And Inalen? She came from deep in the Australian outback. Her house was built on the side of a mountain, and her parents knew their way around it like they were made to live on it. The same went for Inalen. She lived on that mountain all her life and was fascinated by the mountain's structure. She would hike for hours just to look at the different rocks that made up the huge monument. She would always come home with a geode or arrowhead of some kind when the day was over. Her love of rocks lead her to reading books and watching documentaries on anything related to the hard material. She handled each stone with care, as if it were made of glass. She always went mountain climbing or cave diving when she was bored and developed a sort of respect for the Earth. So here she was, serving as the geologist that was sent to study the structure of the planet Pejite.

Malcom snapped his fingers, and Inalen blinked, her deep thoughts abruptly halting at the sound. She glanced at her friend and he chuckled, "Just because your body's in space, it doesn't mean your head should be."

Inalen rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Yeah, yeah, can I just get some food? Or did you blokes eat it all?"

Malcom scoffed and threw her a package of dried 'astronaut's food'. "Here ya' go Princess."

Inalen tore off the plastic packaging and took a bite. _Hmm tastes like dried apricots_. She then looked at the packages label which clearly read out 'apricot'. _Oh duh._

Inalen looked around the kitchen and noticed someone was gone. She swallowed and asked her supervisor, "Mr. Jim, where'd Mrs. Sandra wander off to?"

The white haired man glanced at the Australian, "Oh she went to see how the ship is function."

Malcom looked up, "Isn't that my job?"

Mr. Jim nodded, "Yes, but she figured she'd give you one free morning before the real work begins." He sent the young American a knowing smile.

BANG!

All humans started at the loud, echoing noise that had come from somewhere else in the ship.

Shocked and worried, the four young astronauts ran towards the banging, which sounded like it had come from the control room. Amora and Inalen got there first, and when they looked upon the room, they screamed. There was their teacher, Mrs. Sandra, dead and lying in a pool of her own blood in the middle of the floor. There was a bullet hole in the middle of her forehead. The boys had heard their scream and suddenly appeared behind them. Danil's frantic voice called out, "Girls! Vat's wrong in…"

He and Malcom stopped dead in their tracks, gasping at the sight of their guardian's body. Malcom stared wide eyed at Mrs. Sandra's lifeless form, "What the…"

But he was cut off as a giant, read beam shot towards them. They felt a electrical shock run through their veins and as they lost consciousness, they couldn't help but think.

What the hell just happened?

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**Yay! Prologue done :) It's okay if you're confused, it'll be explained in the next chapter! I'll get Chapter 1 up soon!**

**~Oliver**


	2. Chapter 1

******Alright i know that this update is a little...well extremely late. But i just have _not _been in a TT mode recently (and i'm really sorry for that!). And i've been meaning to post this since forever, but my inspiration that i had when this story was in my mind left for awhile. But i have returned and (hopefully) will remain a little bit on track with this story :) But sadly i wouldn't expect frequent updates...school's about to start and i have a lot on my plate as of now, but i shall try very hard to keep this going and my readers satisfied ;)**

**********To all who were confused on the Prologue, don't worry this will explain it all! And a gratious thank you goes to all who reviewed, faved, and/or is following this story! You guys rock and me my day!**

**********Disclaimor: i don't own Teen Titans...although wouldn't it be totally sweet if i did?**

**********Enough about me :) Lets get back to the story!**

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"Grab your gun, time to go to hell

I'm no hero, guilty as charged.

Search and destroy."

-30 Seconds to Mars (Search and Destroy)

**Chapter 1**

**Robin's POV**

The door in front of me opened slowly, filling the elevator with blinding light. I saw white for a second, but didn't close my eyes. The fight always comes first, my mind declared. That's what I'd tell myself whenever I needed encouragement.

As my eyes got used to the new light, I looked around to see nothing but sterile, white-tiled walls and a few boxes here and there. Nothing special really, but I couldn't afford to let my guard down. Without a word, I stole a glance at a set of windows near the ceiling and saw Raven standing inside there, pressing a few buttons. She caught my gaze and gave me a small thumbs up, her face expressionless as usual. I nodded back to show her that I'd understood and walked cautiously into the room, keeping an eye out for anything that didn't belong.

I walked into the middle of the large, circular room, trying to locate anything or anyone. I placed my hand against my utility belt, I could feel…something. A presence? I felt something whiz past me from behind, and twirled around in time to see a blur of white coming at me, fist raised and ready to strike. I reacted quickly and ducked, but the enemy wasn't going to give up that easily. The assailant was wearing a white jumpsuit and mask that covered their whole head with two grey sheets of semi-transparent cloth to hide their eyes. They quickly spun around and aimed another punch at me.

I raised my arm and blocked it, sending one of my own punches in response to it. The person quickly shot to the side, and my hit missed. Instead of moving away, they grabbed my wrist, twisting it to where I had to turn around so my shoulder wouldn't be dislocated. Once they had my arm behind my back, they kicked me at the base of my spine and let go of their hold on me, causing me to fall. With my hands free, I quickly caught myself and pushed myself from my hands to my feet. Using this momentum, I slid against the ground and pulled my staff out.

The person went into a defensive crouch, their fists held ready at their sides. I twirled my staff around in a readying manner and observed my opponent. They were fast and strong; although their slim build didn't show it. My back throbbed a little, not too much to be a hindrance, but I was sure it would bruise afterwards.

The intruder didn't move, so I took the advantage and attacked first. I ran at them, staff raised, and swung it from the side at their head. The enemy moved fast and blocked my blow with their forearm, grabbing the metal pole with their free hand. Seeing this, I tightened my grip on the staff. The fight turned into a small game of tug-of-war before the enemy pulled themselves close enough to me to bang their head against mine.

I fell back, seeing stars and rubbing my head. My opponent was standing there watching me recover, my staff now held tightly in their hands. Taking a deep breath to clear my senses, I quickly took out another staff and went into a defensive crouch.

This time it was them that sprang first, my staff held in both of their hands. I swung the metal pole downwards, trying to catch them on the head. Unexpectedly, they caught my offense and held the staff horizontally in midair, halting my onslaught before it reached its intended point. I stepped back and then tried swinging to the side. They blocked it again. I came at them again and again. _Swing left. Dodge! Now up. Towards the stomach! Watch it! _All efforts to make a hit were made in vain as they were continuously blocked again and again.

I jumped backwards, gaining some distance between us. I faced my enemy, my eyes glaring where theirs supposedly lay underneath the white fabric surrounding their face. Then, as we made eye contact, something flashed. I squinted my eyes in confusion. Did I really just see light flash from their eyes?

Unfortunately, I was so distracted I didn't notice them coming at me until they were right in front of me. I brought my staff up just in time to catch the blow, the two metal weapons clanging as metal hit metal. The intruder twirled their staff around mine, and pushed the tip forward and jabbed the heel of my hand sharply, causing me to reflexively drop my staff. They immediately swung down, swiping my feet out from under me.

I hit the ground hard and winced as my still sore back collided with the tiled floor. A foot pressed against my chest, keeping me down, and the cold steel of the staff pressed against my neck sent chills down his spine at the weapon's close proximity. I looked up at my opponent as they stood over me. The tenseness of their body, and determined stance told me they weren't going to let me up anytime soon. Unless….well I knew the answer to that. Even though I hated the idea, I knew that I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon if I didn't yield first.

I held my hands up and sighed, "Okay, okay, I give."

The white-cladded person stared down at me, and even though their expression was covered by a mask, I could practically feel the smile on their face. I grumbled at their pleasure. They moved my staff, as well as their foot, away from me, and I felt the touch of the cold metal leave the skin on my neck. That's when we heard Raven's voice over the intercom, "_Good job Star, you managed to kick our leader's butt_."

I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head back to look at Raven, who was still behind the training room's observation window, "Starfire?"

"Wow, you _just _realized that? You're even denser than I thought." Raven shot back, her usual monotone voice laced with an amused taunt.

I rolled my eyes, her tone of voice suggested she was smirking. A hand suddenly appeared in front of me, and I looked up. Stafire had taken her mask off, her scarlet hair was tied up in a bun and was slightly damp. Her emerald eyes sparkled as she smiled down at me. I felt my annoyance easily melt away, and I couldn't help but smile back at her. I took her hand and she effortlessly helped me off the ground. "I guess I should learn not to hesitate when fighting you. Then maybe Raven wouldn't put me through these 'surprise trials'," I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck.

She giggled at my embarrassment, her musical laugh causing my heart to jolt lightly. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks, and blushed at the fact that I was, well blushing. Unfortunately, love still makes me act like an idiot. Then again, doesn't it do that to everyone?

I looked back at my girlfriend again, and thought of her swift and precise movements when she was wielding my staff around. I knew it could be only one thing. So, with a knowing look on my face, I asked her, "Where did you learn how to swordfight?"

Starfire simply shrugged and took my hand in her own. "I was not born with my powers, "she explained, gazing at me. I nodded, she having told me how she got her powers when we started dating. 'No secrets' she had demanded, and frankly, I was happy to comply. I'd held back so many emotions from the day my parents died, that I was actually kind of glad that someone I trusted forced me to tell them. Besides, she wouldn't have told me her past if I hadn't told her mine.

Seeing me nod, she continued, "My father had explained to me that," she stopped and straightened her back, putting on a stern expression that must've somewhat resembled the late emperor of Tamaran, "'a princess who has acquired at least one form of defense, is more suitable than one who has not'. I followed his advice and learned how to defend myself. Akkeim Combat was the best option I had."

Robin paused, and gave his girlfriend a curious look, "_Akkeim _Combat?"

"It is an ancient form of fighting with long sharp weapons of some form. I believe it is closest to what you termed 'sword fighting'."

Needless to say, I was only slightly shocked. She was a princess from a warrior-like race that lived over eight billion miles away from here….

I guess it was to be expected.

My spine gave a sharp pang and I flinched. I immediately massaged my back with my free hand (because I wasn't about to let go of Stars!). It eliminated some of the pain, but it still hurt.

Starfire, who must've sensed my distress, gazed at my back and looked up at me with concern. "I did not harm you too badly, did I?"

Worry laced her beautiful face and my heart melted. Even after being on earth for a year and a half, she was still the same old Star. Wanting her to smile again, I chuckled lightly and beamed at her, "You? No, no, no I'm fine Star."

She raised an eyebrow at my, obviously fake, exclamation and cautiously said, "You are sure?"

I smiled softly at her, and kissed her cheek, grinning even more when I saw the light blush that crept up onto her cheeks. "You're too sweet for your own good, you know that?"

She smiled and I let go of her hand to put it around her shoulders, hugging her close to me as we exited the training room for lunch. Both of us knowing exactly what we'd find there.

"Get that crap off of my stove!"

"What are you calling 'crap'? This stuff is delicious!"

"Man, that stuff ain't even fit for dogs to eat!"

"Well it apparently is because I can turn into one!"

"Well I don't care! Just get the tofu OFF MY STOVE!"

"MAKE ME!"

I groaned and slammed my head down on the table. The arguing was definitely starting to give me a headache. I looked up at Star, who was sitting beside me. She had her head propped up on her hand and had a weird expression on her face, like she was annoyed but partially hiding it. It was actually kind of cute.

Beastboy and Cyborg were glaring daggers at each other, signaling that they were once again having their traditional 'what to eat for breakfast' argument…like they didn't do anything else. Cyborg stood next to the refrigerator, bacon in one hand while to other was flailing about to emphasize his irritation at Beastboy. Said changeling was at the stove, a white chef's hat on his head and an apron, which was so big it could serve as his blanket, was tied around his neck and waist flashing a big "VEGAN. For the People. For the Planet. For the Animals." across the front. He had a metal spatula in his hand, which Cyborg was watching warily in case his best friend suddenly attacked him, as said changeling casually kept an eye on his tofu-product that was sizzling in a skillet.

I watched with little interest as the argument continued.

"Dude! Do you have any idea how that meat gets here? Go watch 'Meet Your Meat' and you'll be dying to become a vegetarian! And then you'll come in and say," Beastboy puffed his chest out and stood on the tips of his toes, his voice lowering to match Cy's as he continued his defense, "'Why my dear friend Beastboy, I was so wrong to deny your eating habits! Please teach me your ways!' and then I'll say…"

"Yeah right! Like that'll happen Grass Stain!"

I sighed and hid my face in my hands, trying relentlessly to drown out the shouts that were echoing around the living room. Just as I was about to tell the two to shut up and get on with life, they abruptly stopped fighting. Silence reigned peacefully for a few moments before a voice spoke up from the far side of the room.

"You two argue over the same thing every day. Can't you give it a rest for once?" Raven's voice droned on, her black magic had been wrapped tightly around both Cyborg's and Beastboy's mouths, preventing them from continuing their quarrel.

I gazed at Raven, "And you didn't do that earlier because…"

"Because that would be insensitive, and being insensitive isn't my style." she replied smoothly.

I scoffed at her sarcasm, "Says the girl who ties her teammates upside down after they interrupt her meditation and throw them into the closet for five hours."

I was then on the receiving end of a dark glare, "Do _not _go into that."

A muffled shout came from the kitchen, and we turned to see both Beastboy and Cyborg trying to pull off the dark magic from their faces in obvious distress.

Starfire stared at the boys with concern then looked to Raven, "Please, I believe they cannot breath. And Beastboy looks as if he is turning purple."

It was only then Raven noticed she had placed the makeshift muzzle across both their mouths _and _noses. "They're airheads already, they probably don't need any more."

Beastboy's almost audible "Hey!" sounded throughout the room as he shot an angry glance at the empathy, followed by some more incoherent mumbling.

Raven sighed as she walked towards the kitchen, "Alright, alright I'm letting go now."

The black strips disappeared from their faces and they both took deep, rapid breaths.

"Dude!" Beastboy said between pants, "You…could've…..killed…us!"

Raven, getting a mug and a pack of jasmine tea out of the cabinet, shrugged as she went to get some water to boil. "If I wanted you dead I would've killed you a long time ago. Consider yourselves lucky that you've lasted _this _long."

Beastboy glared at the empath, "Oh yeah? Well I…"

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

Everyone in the room, including myself, instinctively glanced up at the flashing red lights that signified a disturbance in the city's peace. I immediately jumped up from the chair I was lounging on and raced towards the computer's mainframe. I heard the others following close behind, their breakfast and argument forgotten. The alarm had sounded, and, no matter what the cause, we all meant business. I instantly typed in the codes and clicked on the tracking devices rapidly, the keys making a distinct click every time my fingers hit them. After a few seconds of effortlessly searching, something that had become a habit, I finally found what had caused the alarm to go off; however, it wasn't anything like I suspected. It was a letter, asking for assistance from the NASA institution just outside the city limits.

Cy looked over my shoulder impatiently, "Hey man, have ya found the problem yet?"

I swiveled in my chair, turning to face my team. They all had anxious and curious looks on their faces and I related to them what I knew. "It was a message from Colonel Besra. She's stationed down at the NASA center just south of Jump City. She says they have an unexplained sequence of events that they're extremely worried about. They're asking for our assistance."

Starfire inched forward a little to get a better view of the screen, her eyebrows were nit together in confusion. "Do you have any notion of what they may be troubled about?" she inquired, looking at me expectantly.

Her eyes met mine, and I saw her emotions, perplexity any maybe a little apprehension, swirl around in her emerald irises. She looked like she was contemplating something, like she had heard of a situation similar to this one. Maybe…she knew something?

I realized that I still hadn't answered her question and turned back to the computer screen, pushing the thoughts back for the time being. "No, they didn't say what it was about, they just said they needed our help and something about a disappearance of some of their interns."

"So…besides the fact that a few rookies are missing, they don't know _anything _about it?" Beastboy whined, obviously annoyed at the limited amount of detail on our mission.

I didn't answer, but looked over the letter once more, feeling a slight sense of unease poke at the corners of my mind. Almost as if my conscience was giving me a warning, whispering that something was wrong with the situation. I sighed, even if I listened to them and decided not to take the mission, it wouldn't keep my friends here anyway.

I placed my hands on the small stand the keyboard was on and lifted myself up and out of the chair.

I crossed my arms across my chest, and stared behind me at my team. They stared back at me, determination gracing everyone's features and small smirks from anticipation. They knew danger was afoot, and they believed that no matter what it was, they _would _stop it. I could feel pride overwhelm me as we scrutinized each other, them waiting for me to give the final signal. They were my team, the ones who I trained and who trained me as well. I couldn't have asked for a better team, much less better friends.

I cleared my head, pushing the feelings back into a little corner for me to dwell upon later, we had business to take care of.

"Okay, Titans. We have a limited amount of detail..." I started.

"No duh, Sherlock," Beastboy scoffed, earning him a hard slap across the back of the head. Courtesy of Raven of course. I made a mental note to thank her for that later.

"…and we have a mysterious disappearance on our hands," I continued, "Now this could be a kidnapping, murder, or maybe even a misunderstanding. But whatever it is, were going to solve it. Got it?"

Four nods later, I smile and say the two words that send everybody down towards the garage in acceptance of whatever we may be about to face.

"Titans Go!"

The trees blurred by quickly, creating a wall of green and brown as Cyborg sped down the road leading out of the big city. I sat in the passenger seat, my fingers rhythmically tapped against the door's frame as I rested my arm along it.

I had decided to just ride with the team today, instead of taking my R-Cycle like I usually do. Besides, why waste gas when I could just get a free ride?

We had left the city limit's a few minutes ago, and the further we went, the more green I saw. Not that that was a _bad _thing. Cliffs partially covered in green moss towered over either side of the ebony road, making the line of black stand out like an exploding volcano out in the middle of an ocean. The road itself twisted and curved into sharp turns that I could've sworn were at ninety-degree angles. If it weren't for Raven's sharp eyes, Cy probably would've driven straight into a cliff or tree. I'd already counted over fifty-two of Beastboy's "are we there yet?"s, and I didn't really want to hear another.

"Are we there yet?" The changeling practically shouted as he leaned forward, poking his head between the driver and passenger seat of the car.

After nearly jumping out of my seat from the surprise, I sought out his face and sent him my best death glare.

"Man, quit saying that! We'll get there when we get there, got it?" Cyborg flared, he would've looked Beastboy in the eye while saying this, but his eyes were occupied trying to go through all the curves without crashing.

Beastboy sat back in his seat and threw his arms up in exasperation. "But we've been driving for, like, five hours!"

Starfire turned from looking out of the window, and gazed at our friend with perplexity. "But Beastboy, we have only been on the road for a mere twenty minutes."

Beastboy scratched his head, now utterly confused. "Are you sure?" As if to answer his own question, he leaned past Raven and looked out of her window at the blue sky above. "I mean, I could've sworn that the sun was much higher up when we left."

Raven glared daggers at him and shoved him back into his seat between the two girls before he could object.

Beastboy crossed his arms dejectedly and slumped against the leather of the seat. "Why are they this far out here anyway?"

"It is an organization dedicated to space travel, is it not?" Starfire piped up. " It would make sense that their research should require a large amount of uncivilized land. The machinery is large, and the scientists may need a tranquil, orderly environment to perform their jobs."

All of us, except for Cyborg, stared back at her, completely stunned by how accurate and keen her explanation was. I couldn't help the smile that eased its way onto my face. We had been dating for three months now, and she still has never ceased to surprise me. She's extremely smart, not to mention strong. But she doesn't let these attributes show openly, it's just not in her personality to sing her own praises, and while she's usually innocent and one of the kindest people out there, you sometimes forget just how adept she is. And I still wouldn't change her for the world.

"Hey guys," we all turned towards Cyborg as he called out to us with a grin on his face, "I think we've just reached the entrance."

I blinked and immediately turned forward to look out of the windshield, and I could feel Star, Raven, and Beastboy gathering around the opening in between the two front seats to gaze with me. Sure enough, there stood a large concrete wall that intercepted the forested road a few meters ahead of us. The entrance had a single small opening where cars supposedly passed through to get in, and had a guard station in front of it to make sure no one came in without permission. And standing right in front of it was…a girl?

Cyborg must have seen her too because he slowed the car to a stop on the side of the road, away from the entrance to the institution. He placed his 'baby' in park and looked out his window again. "Who the heck is that," I heard him mutter under his breath.

As if she heard him, the girl started walking towards the car; however, the closer she got, the better I could see her. She actually wasn't a 'little' girl, but looked to be about twenty-something. Her yellow-blonde hair was tied up in the back with a clip, and she was wearing a royal blue military uniform. Her combat boots thudded first against the asphalt, and then the dead leaves lying on the forest floor as she made her way to us casually. She was holding a clipboard of some sort, but I wasn't able to see what was on it.

Figuring she was one of the staff, I unbuckled and got out of the car to meet her. I heard the others doing the same and soon they were right beside me walking towards the blonde.

We didn't travel far before the lady was right in front of us. Once we stopped she stiffened up and saluted us. "You are the Teen Titans I presume?" she inquired uncertainly. Apparently she hadn't expected us to be kids.

I nodded at her. She was about the same height as Cyborg, which means I had to tilt my head up slightly to look her in the eyes. "I'm Robin. And these are my teammates: Starfire, Beastboy, Raven, and Cyborg. I believe someone called us about a disappearance."

"Yes, that was me. I'm Colonel Liza Besra. I'm sorry for the limited amount of information in the letter I sent, but the witness wanted to tell you about it in person."

"Can you at least give us a _little _input?" came Beastboy's voice from behind me, he held up a hand with his thumb and pointer finger inches apart as emphasis.

Colonel Besra sighed and replied coolly, "I wish I could, but I know just as much as you do. Besides, we'll all find out soon enough. Follow me."

The Colonel led us through the entrance quickly, and muttered a small greeting to the dark-haired man sitting inside the guard station. Once we passed the entrance, I could see why she never asked us to park the T-Car inside. The whole staff parking lot was full. It seemed as if nobody had taken off that day, probably due to the recent disappearances.

When we entered the NASA building, there was hardly anybody in the lobby, but a few receptionists at the front desk, typing hastily away and answering calls. Colonel Besra quickly went to one of them, they talked for a second, and the receptionist gave the blonde a manila folder. I saw the Colonel nod in thanks and walk back over to us. Without a seconds hesitations, she handed the folder to me.

"This is the record of Jim Heimdal. He's one of the oldest astronomers here. Apparently, he and a group of students who were picked for the International League of Future Astronomers, or ILFA, set off on a rocket ship to the planet Pejite ten months ago. Mr. Heimdal landed back on earth yesterday. Alone in a rescue pod from the shuttle they were on. We don't know where the students or his assistant are. But the ship received no damage whatsoever. No one knows what happened exactly."

I felt the others gather around as I opened up the folder. On top of the stack of papers were six photographs. Four of them were teenagers, smiling at the camera like they were about to go on the greatest adventure they could've ever imagined. And maybe they were. I looked at the picture of the old man, who was Jim Heimdal. Just by looking at him, I could tell he was a kind man. He had a wise aura around him, and he looked like nothing could touch him.

"Is he here? Could we talk to him about what happened?" I handed the folder off to the others, and

Colonel Besra led us down the halls of the institution, down a few corridors, up a few stairs, until she led us into a room that reminded me of an interrogation room. There were a few monitors up along the ceiling, and a glass wall that showed us the inside of another room. However, this one wasn't empty.

Inside the room, was an old man. Well, maybe he wasn't that old. He looked to be in his late fifties or so. His hair and beard were white , but he looked as if he had just went through Hell and back. He was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, his face was hidden behind his hands, making him look…defeated somehow. His skin was very pale, and I could see him shaking very faintly. He looked thinner than he did in the photograph the Colonel had handed to us on the way in. This didn't look anything like the wise, energetic man in the picture. He looked much more fragile. In fact, it looked as if he were suffering the many symptoms of shock. Just by looking at him, I figured something on his expedition had gone terribly wrong.

Starfire turned to Colonel Besra after looking upon the scene herself. "Is he alright?"

Beastboy nodded, "Yeah, he looks kind of…" He paused, unable to find the word he wanted

"..shaken," Raven didn't turn when she finished Beastboy's sentence for him, but kept her eyes on the emaciated man in the room.

The Colonel's face was considerate for a minute. As if she was thinking something over. "I think it may be best…if only one or two of you go in. I don't think he needs all the pressure, not right after… whatever it was that happened."

I nodded; I didn't want the old man to relive it or anything. I just needed some answers. "Alright, " I looked around the room. Everyone knew I was going to go in no matter what, but I probably needed one other person to go in with me. Just in case.

"Raven, come in with me would you?" I turned to the empath and she nodded. If anything went wrong, or he couldn't continue for some reason, Raven could probably help get the whole story out if the need should occur.

We waited for Besra to unlock the door, and then cautiously entered the room. "Mr. Heimdal," The old man looked up, his eyes were lifeless and red, and his glasses were resting on the edge of his nose, one lens cracked to the point beyond repair. However, I thought I saw a glimmer of hope flash across his feature when he saw us. With that little piece of encouragement, I continued, "My name is Robin, I'm the leader of the Teen Titans, and this is my teammate Raven. We're here to…"

"Oh, I know why you're here. And I know who you are, no need to be so formal with it." Mr. Hemidal's voice was rough and hoarse as he spoke. "And I cannot begin to thank you for helping."

"No need to thank us, we couldn't have turned the mission down if we wanted to." Raven's reply came from my left as we sat ourselves down in the metal chairs across the table from Mr. Hemidal.

"So," I spoke gently, making sure there was only a hint of authority in my voice as I spoke to the old man, "could you please tell us what happened?"

Mr. Hemidal gave us a solemn nod and took a deep breath. He then sat a little straighter in his chair, pulling it forward a little so he was closer to us. "All of us had just woken up from our suspended state of animation, or hyper sleep as us astronauts call it, when it happened. All of the students were at the table eating breakfast, and my assistant Sandra Millers had gone to check up on something in the control room. We were all just sitting there, eating and talking when we heard a loud noise come from the same room Sandra went in.

"The students ran in there before I could stop them. And a few seconds later I heard screaming. Of course I ran back there to see what had happened, but…" he paused, his shaking had returned as he retold the events. However, he took another deep breath to calm himself and continued, "but when I got there, I found my assistant dead on the floor and my students nowhere to be found."

As he finished I cast a sideways glance at Raven, who did the same to me. We both knew this wasn't something ordinary. Sure murder and kidnapping was common on Earth, but who would go to the trouble of attacking a ship's crew when they hadn't done anything? And in _space _of all places. It was an extremely unfortunate, as well as abnormal, occurrence in my book at least.

I turned back to Mr. Hemidal, my voice now determined to figure out this riddle. "Thank you for your information. I assure you we'll go after them as soon as…." Raven and I stood up to leave.

"Wait!" He stopped us before we went very far. He subtly looked over his shoulders, as if he were afraid someone was watching him. Waiting for him to give them a reason to kill him as well. His eyes met mine and he motioned for me to come over.

I did as he said, leaving Raven a few steps away. As I approached him, Mr. Hemidal leaned forward and whispered to me. "I didn't get to see the killers very clearly, but I caught a glimpse of them in the shadows. They weren't human, lad. They were too tall, with tails, and I could've sworn I heard them growling. I didn't want to leave the kids, it tore my heart apart knowing I left them alone with those…those monstrosities without any protection whatsoever. But I'm old, I knew that I couldn't save them if I tried. That's why I left the ship. That's why I asked you to come. Please, please do what I cannot and save them."

His words struck a cord in me. I could feel my determination growing inside of me. Calling the hero out once more. I nodded at him and leaned back from him.

"Mr. Hemidal, being the Teen Titans, we live by a code. We save _everyone_, no matter who they are or what situation they're in. We will either save the victim and capture the villain, or we die trying."

I looked back at the old man, his eyes gleamed with hope again, his silent prayers for salvation being answered.

"As you can see, Mr. Hemidal, I'm not dead yet," I turned back to Raven and headed towards the door of the interrogation room, but not without looking back and giving him a reassuring smile.

"And I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

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**Yeah i know this was kinda just an introduction to the plot of the stroy, but i felt it was important. And please tell me if any characters were OOC, i felt like some were. So...i have nothing else to say :-P**

**R&R everyone! I take praise and/or constructive critisim...whatever will make it better for you guys :)**

**PS: for those who are wondering...yes i based Colonel Besra off of Riza Hawkeye from Fullmetal Alchemist ( i couldn't help it! Hawkeye's awesome!) :-P**


	3. Chapter 2

**Oh my gosh, i can't even _begin _to explain why it took me like five _freakin_' months to update this story. So, when all else fails, i make lists: beach, death of 5month old puppy (very tragic), start of school, physics, calculus, physics and calculus teachers (a couple of wack-jobs if you ask me), two new puppies, school work, me failing school, study groups ever single night, me doing better in school, swim team, school, HARRY POTTER 7!, Thanksgiving, school, Christmas, and last but not least...laziness. And what's worse? I give you a crappy chapter like this one...so i sincerely apologize for the blech-ness of this chapter and hope you won't kill me for bad penmanship (keyboard-ship?) This story will get better i promise! We're just in the boring set-up-the-plot moments right now.**

**Anywho, just a little note. I planed on writing this story in 1st person POV (with switiching views between characters) but then i realized it'd just be easier to do it all in 3rd person...so that's why this chapter isn't in anyones POV...just thought i'd let you know :) And this was originally supposed to be a part of the next chapter, but since i'm neglecting you guys you get this part as it's own individual chapter (Hurray!)!**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own...you don't sue.  
**_**Enjoy **

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"For you, just you, I'm caught in place,

But I ignore what I can't replace.

I will run and hide 'till memories fade away,

And I will leave behind a love so strong."

- Red (Hide)

**Chapter 2**

Robin typed in the phone number almost in an almost hypnotic way. He'd dialed it so many times before that he was just pressing the buttons on instinct now. After he finished, he simply gazed up at the large television screen, waiting for the blue 'connecting' sign to stop flashing and swap to the common room of the Titan's East Tower.

Robin was the only person in the living room at that moment. The rest of the team were in their own rooms, gathering everything they needed for their trip into space.

Cyborg had said that the T-Ship could get to _Athena's Soldier _in less than four hours as opposed to the five months the space shuttle had been traveling; which, of course, came from having a half-robot as a comrade and a high status as the city's super villain defense unit.

Needless to say, the engineers at NASA were stunned to hear about such a machine after the team turned down the offer to borrow their 'fastest rocket'.

However, just to be safe, the Titans were busy packing a small suitcase in case they were stranded in space….again.

The T.V. made a beeping sound and the screen blinked to reveal the image of Bumblebee shouting to something off-screen, "You guys stop yelling! For all we know this could be Robin on the other line!" With a sigh she turned to the camera, and , realizing who it was, smiled sheepishly. "Oh…hey Robin! What's goin' on?"

Robin chuckled at her, "Nothing much, really. It's been really quiet here since we got back from Japan. How's everything over there?"

Bumblebee scoffed and supported her head with her hands as she leaned against the counter in front of the screen. "Well I'm a lone female living with four teenage boys, so…you know, the usual. So why are ya' calling? Do you need us to city-sit again?"

"Unfortunately, yes. We got a mission this morning, and we have to go into space. We're pretty sure it won't take long. A day or two at the most, but we want you guys here just in case something big pops up that the police can't handle."

"Sure thing! We need Sparky to check out our ship anyways, it's been making this rattling sound for days; also between you and me, Aqualad isn't the best mechanic in the world-"

"Hey I heard that!" an offended voice exclaimed from far off.

Not happy at being interrupted, Bumblebee grabbed a nearby, empty soda can and threw it at the disembodied voice. A few seconds later, the throw was followed by a _clunk_ and a loud 'Whale's Tail!' which, Robin assumed, was a curse from Aqualad.

Bumbebee ignored the swimmer's profanity and turned back to the camera. With a sweet voice and calm demeanor, she said, "I'll tell the boys to get ready, and we'll be over in a jiffy."

Robin smiled at the heroine and said one more thing before disconnecting, "Alright thanks a lot. We'll see you guys in a little while."

The former Boy Wonder let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Titans East was a crazy, disorganized team, but they were all still friends. The way they lived and acted together seemed a little chaotic to him. However, his own team was a little on the insane side too, so he wasn't one to judge.

The metallic doors leading to the hallways swished open, and Cyborg stepped into the living room, suitcase in hand. Of course, it had the same white, grey, and blue pattern as the mechanic himself, so it was safe to assume that he had made the baggage instead of going out and buying some.

Cyborg walked over to the couch and dumped the luggage onto it, wiping his brow in jest as if it were a huge workout. "Phew, man I hate packing. So did ya' get a hold of Bee and the others?"

"Yeah," Robin smiled at his partner as he walked away from the monitor. "Just got off the phone with them. Bumblebee said they'd 'get here in a jiffy'".

Beastboy arose from behind the couch suddenly and with a smirk said, "You know, a 'jiffy' is actually one-one hundredth of a second. So, actually, if you count a each on-one hundredth as a minute, she's like….over thirty-two years late."

Cyborg shot a disbelieving gaze at the green changeling, and shouted out with a defiant voice, "Oh, sure, _now _he becomes smart!"

"Hey! Don't underestimate the power of the Internet!"

"I wasn't underestimating the Internet, I was overestimating the power of your immature brain!"

"Why thank you…HEY! That was an insult wasn't it? I'll have you know I am extremely mature, Tin Can!"

"Oh, yeah! Calling people names is _really _mature, isn't it BB?"

The raven-haired leader merely rolled his eyes at their antics and walked to his room to pack.

The door of Robin's closet slid open, revealing a line of uniforms and weapons. He wasted no time in reaching for the far corner where a duffle bag was lying undisturbed from the last time he left it there. He dragged the bag out and carelessly tossed it on his bed, and then proceeded to fill it up.

He placed three of his suits in the bag, and didn't hesitate to throw in a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other toiletries as well. Robin suddenly experienced an episode of déjà vu as he grabbed the emergency kit he kept in his bathroom cupboard. Didn't he just do this a few months ago? When they were packing up to go to Japan?

As he placed a few other necessities in his duffle bag, he couldn't resist glancing at the bed table that stood against the wall to his right. On top sat a golden medal, shining brilliantly as it sat in the way of a ray cast off by the afternoon sunshine that came in through a nearby window. Right next to it a photo of the team standing in front of the famous Buddhist temple, the _Asakusa Kannon._ Now that was a day to remember. The picture had Cyborg holding some Japanese dessert in one hand, and the other placed on Beastboy's head. The half-robot wore a big award-winning smile, as he was having the time of his life. Said changeling was holding up two fingers as a peace sign, and winking at the camera. Raven was to the left of him, showing one of her extremely rare half-smiles, which said more than enough about the whole trip from her point of view. On the other side of Beastboy was what made the whole vacation one to die for.

Starfire stood back to back with Robin, both wearing kimonos that they had dressed up in for fun. Starfire's red hair was held up in a bun with green chopsticks, her outfit was composed of sky blue silk that had white cranes gliding along it. She held a darker blue parasol over her shoulder. Her eyes were closed and she was laughing at something Beastboy had said, not noticing the picture being taken at that exact moment. Robin had his back against hers, smiling like nothing better had ever happened in his life. As if he were living for the first time.

The Boy Wonder unconsciously grinned at the picture. Sure they had originally gone to Tokyo to find Brushogun, and to protect their home. Besides the fact that he had 'murdered' someone, was arrested, became an outlaw, almost got his team killed, _and _had to fight an evil policeman who turned into a gigantic ink monster…it was worth going through to end up having a girlfriend like her, right?

Robin took another glance at the photo and answered his own question, "Definitely."

"What is definite?" Robin turned to the direction the sweet voice came from and smiled.

Robin grabbed his now full duffle bag and went over to the door where Starfire was. "Nothing really, I was just thinking out loud." He turned the lights out in his room and walked out. "Come on, we should get our luggage to the living room. Do you have everything?"

Star nodded vigorously, holding out a green bag in response. With that answer, they both walked back down the hall to where the rest of their team was. "So, what do you think?"

Starfire glanced at him with a surprised expression at his inquiry, "Of what?"

"Well, of this disappearance thing. Have you heard of people getting kidnapped in space before?"

Starfire nodded, "But those incidents always have some reasoning behind it. I do not understand why the students were abducted."

"Yeah, I thinks it's strange also…." Robin's voice faded off as he started thinking of possible scenarios of why the event happened.

Uncomfortable with the silence, Starfire clasped his hand in hers and confidently said, "Do not fret Robin, I am sure we will be victorious!"

He snapped back to attention and smiled warmly at her, "Of course we will."

It took only about an hour for their friends to travel down to Jump City, but when they finally arrived, everyone rushed up to the roof of their home to greet them as the Titans East docked their ship.

Robin reached the roof to greet this fellow do-gooders first; the rest of the Titans followed his lead, each of their expressions full of delight at having the chance to see their friends once again.

Speedy stepped out of the ship first, dropping the suitcase he was carrying and throwing his arms out in joy. "No worries Jump City! The Titans East has arrived!"

Bumblebee came out next, stretching a little from the drive before going to greet her sister team.

The very moment the Titan caught sight of Starfire she flew over to her friend and glomped her in a big hug, squealing, "Oh, Star! We were all so happy for you and Robin! I knew it was going to happen, and it did!"

Starfire beamed back at her, with equal delight shining in her emerald eyes. "Friend I thank you for your happiness in the 'dating' of us! And I wish you welcome once again to our home!"

Behind the two, the rest of the Titan's sweat-dropped at the very enthusiastic scene that the two girls shared with each other. Robin sighed and was about to speak up before Bumblebee noticed him beyond Star's shoulder.

"And look, Robin! You've grown! You're taller than your girlfriend now!" Bumblebee patted his head as if he were a dog, oblivious to the steaming, death-glare she was receiving from under his mask. His growth spurt hit him a few weeks ago. He gained seven inches in four days and he now stood a staggering three inches over the redhead. Although, that didn't mean he liked people reminding him how short he used to be.

She grinned at his irritation as the rest of her team came out of the ship. "Bee, could you be a little _less _enthusiastic?" Speedy asked, walking across the roof to her.

Aqualad gave a hard pat on his back, "Aw, come on let her have her fun." he turned away from his brooding teammate and addressed the Titans, " Hey guys! Long time no see!"

Beastboy raced up to him, taking it as the most opportune chance to humiliate his frenime, "Well, it's not like I wanted to see a little sardine like you, but I don't blame you. I mean who could stay away from awesomeness like myself?" the changeling made a big show of puffing out his chest and flexing his biceps for emphasis.

Before Aqualad had the chance to shout back a retort, two red and white blurs raced in front of him.

"_Beastboy! Estamos muy contentos de estar aqua_!" the twins chimed in at the same time, while hugging the changeling.

Beastboy stared at them in utter confusion, "Uh….what?"

"They said they're glad to be here," Bumblebee said with a smile on her face. She turned her gaze towards Cyborg and shouted, "Hey there Sparky! Think you could help us fix up this doohickey? It's been rattling for weeks now!" the heroine gestured to the T-Ship behind her with her thumb.

Cyborg scoffed, "Girl of course I can…but it'll have to wait until we get back. Rob wants this mission over and done with as soon as possible."

Bee once again turned to gaze at the raven-haired leader as he started greeting the rest of her teammates. "Gosh, what a busy-bee," her eyes widened as she caught her accidental joke _after _it left her mouth, "Uh…no pun intended."

Cybrg let out a huge laugh at the joke, patting the shorter heroine on the head before suggesting they all go inside and get everyone settled in. The others wholeheartedly agreed and they all went inside the gigantic 'T' together. From the living room their greetings continued, each of Titans getting the other team settled with many "Do you need any information before we leave?"s or "And this remote controls the bla-bla."s in an attempt to keep things orderly for their leave.

Robin was on the far side of the room, casually chatting with Speedy about the security system while they waited for Cyborg, who had gone to do a check up on their T-Ship, to get back from the garage. Their conversation remained uninterrupted until they heard the shrill whooshing sound of the twins zooming past them.

Mas and Menos raced over to Starfire, one on the other's shoulders, and exclaimed, "_Musa hermosa, eres la criatura mas hermosa que jamas haya vivido_!"

The Spaniards raced back and forth from the living room to who knows where, bringing back gift after gift for her. The alien just stood there with a never ending blush varnishing her cheeks, but giggled and thanked them for their generosity all the same.

Speedy raised an eyebrow and sent a hesitant side-glance at Robin, fearing his teammates' lives. "Uh…you're not going to kill them, are you?"

Robin's head swiveled sharply to look at his (almost) counterpart, then gave an amused chuckle before looking back at the twins, who were now arguing relentlessly; thus giving Starfire the chance to slip away with Bumblebee . "Nah, I know they're mostly joking around. Besides, I'm not the jealous type…"

Beastboy, who just so happened to be walking by, heard Robin's last sentence and stated, "Dude, you're joking right? You get jealous all the time!" he turned to face Speedy, a smirk lighting up his features. "In fact I remember this one time when we were fighting this villain, Red X, and…"

"Okay, that's enough. You still need to finish packing," Raven mercilessly pulled the changeling away from the two masked heroes by his ear and down the hall.

They both watched the two titans disappear in utter silence before turning to each other.

"You didn't hear anything." Robin stated in a monotone voice.

"No I did not." Speedy agreed in an equal tone.

Suddenly, Cyborg burst forth into the room with an award-winning smile on his face, "Alright! Let's get this show on the road!"

The goodbyes were less fervent than the hellos that were exchanged only moments before, but they were goodbyes none the less. After a brief exchange of hugs and handshakes, the Teen Titans finally achieved lift off, Beastboy and Starfire waving at their friends till they couldn't see them anymore.

After the uneventful blast off into the unknown voids of space, the whole team started to get comfortable for the four to five hour flight. Hours went by quickly, but dully. Some of the teammates read, some listened to music, some even started up a light conversation about random things for a while, but nothing of vital concern happened. In the middle of the flight, a light purple sphere appeared outside their windows. Tamaran was a few lightyears away, but it was easily recognizable to the Titans as their ship floated past.

She unintentionally gave a soft sigh into her headset, which caught everybody's attention. Robin looked back to her capsule, "Starfire, you alright?"

She seemed to realize then that everyone was staring at her. She blushed and gave an embarrassed smile, "Oh yes! I am fine, friends! You need not worry about me." she glanced back at the receding planet before adding, "Although, I do have a small feeling of the homesickness."

"Well, ya' know, if you really want to, we can stop by Tamaran after this whole kidnapping business is over." Cyborg suggested.

Star perked up immediately after hearing that, "Oh, that would be glorious! We do not need to stay long though. A quick visit shall suffice."

Beastboy's voice suddenly came through everyone's earpieces, "Hey, I know this is kind of…well actually it's totally off subject, but why'd the Gordanians take you from you home anyway? I mean, I know you were their 'prize' but what for? I mean, how'd you get to that point?"

There was silence in the ship for a few minutes, and the atmosphere suddenly got tense. He heard the soft voice of Starfire ask, apprehensively "Do you wish to know the whole story?"

Robin flinched, knowing what the 'whole story' was. When she told him it wasn't pretty, and he went off-his-rocker for a few minutes after she finished telling it. She was able to calm him down after a while, but the anger at what he heard never really left. "If you don't want to tell them you don't have to, Star."

"No, no, it is fine. I do not have anything to hide." She shifted a little, making herself comfortable in the leather seat, and started her tale.

"As you know, I was born on Tamaran as an heir to the throne after my sister, Blackfire." everybody nodded. "Well, when I was younger, around the age of nine years, Tamaran was at war with the Gordanians. It started over an argument between the ruler of Gordania and the previous Emperor of Tamaran, my grandfather. Battles occurred every day and thousands of lives were lost each hour. Our planet was turning barren, and our populations lessened over the years, and my father wanted it all to end. So one day, he went to the Gordanian general to ask for a truce. The General was a man who, quite surprisingly, wanted the war to come to a stop as well…"

"Really? That's weird considering how violent the others that came to Earth were," Cyborg furrowed his brow at the information.

"Yeah," Beastboy piped up. "I mean, I can't imagine one of those ugly, blue lizards being all lovey-dovey about peace."

Starfire nodded, "Yes, we all found it quite unordinary. But my father was glad for this fact. However, the General stated that if they just ended an eighteen year war with a few words on a measly peace of paper, it would not suffice the ruler of his race. So he offered an exchange. He said that the king would want a prize for stopping the war between them. My father, who was overjoyed at the prospect of ending the bloodshed, said he would willingly give up anything."

"Let me guess…" Raven turned her head slightly to gaze at the young Tamaranian.

"Yes, they wanted Blackfire, my younger brother, and me…"

"Whoa! Hold the phone! You have a brother now?" Beastboy shot out of his seat so fast he banged his head against the glass lid that covered his cockpit.

Star's eyes widened, "Oh, have I never told you about Ryand'r?"

Raven, who was uncharacteristically surprised at the information said, "Who?"

"Wildfire," Robin effortlessly translated the boy's name into English for them.

"So, is this guy another revenge-crazed sibling of yours like your sister?"

"Um…no?"

Cyborg shrugged and leaned back in his seat, "Well, I want to meet the guy just in case. Is he on Tamaran?"

Starfire sighed, "To tell you the truth, I do not have any knowledge of where he is right now. So, as I stated before, the Gordanian ruler thought the treaty was a discreet surrender from the people of Tamaran. Thinking we lost, the ruler wanted a reward for winning the war, so he took my siblings and me for servants."

There was silence throughout the ship, a hidden command to continue.

"That was when I was about nine years old, then the Gordanians sold us to another alien race called the Psions, who we stayed with for two years which were….unpleasant times for all of us-"

As her voice trailed off, the others didn't make a sound, not pushing her to say anything she didn't want to reveal. Even Beastboy had enough sense to keep his mouth shut. They just waited patiently for the redhead to continue her story.

Within a minute or so, Starfire turned back to them with a small smile on her face. "But I did get my powers from them, so I do not dwell on my time there too much anymore. The Gordanians got us back when I was thirteen, of course my siblings and I were separated somehow in the chaos of it, and I was made a servant to the ruler of Gordania. For three more years I stayed with them. Serving them, obeying them, but silently ranting against them with some friends I made there. Until one day, the king was traveling through space, and I was in a holding bay for some….unruly behavior. That's when I escaped and found the Titans!"

She stopped telling her tale, and waited as the words sunk in to her teammates. Not long after, the green changeling behind her piped up, "Man, I'm glad we took the chance and kicked those ugly salamanders' butts when you came here! I'm not in the least bit sorry!"

Robin gave a soft hum, "You can say that again."

"Oh, okay! Man, I'm glad we took the chance and kicked-"

"He didn't mean that literally Beastboy," Raven hissed with annoyance at the younger teammate.

"Ugh, fine!" He sighed in defeat and remained quiet for a few minutes, much to the other's relief, until he felt the arduous sensation of boredom settle in. "So, Raven, what's _your _backstory?"

"Shut up," she snapped, crossing her arms and slouching a little in her seat as she prepared to take a nap.

"Hey guys, you might want to take a look to your right," the serious voice of Robin echoed in their ears, and they did as he instructed. Their eyes easily caught the sight of a grey and black NASA shuttle quietly floating amongst the stars and planets. It was quite a distance away, but even at that distance they could almost feel the fortified silence that was emitted from the abandoned spacecraft.

Cyborg let out a low whistle and muttered, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you _Athena's Soldier._

_

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_

**Yeah, yeah i know, it was awful. Simply disgusting...i disgust myself. So i'm gonna go ahed and apologize again for this chapter: I. Am. Sorry. So...yeah, i still like reviews (praise OR critisim is appreciated) and they make me write faster so the more reviews i get the quicker the next chapter will get out! I'll try not to make you wait half a year this time ;)**

**So R&R everybody! (and just as a random little comment from your author: Go read the _Chaos Walking Trilogy_ by Patrick Ness! It's chuck full of awesomeness! Go NOW! :-P)**

**~Oliver**


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